We have gathered, analyzed and published reports of geo-demographic information to aid the Archdiocese and parishes in their facilities and program planning. Our main effort was to estimate the current and projected Catholic population by zip code so that parishes could then compare this to their current parishioner data and see where there was likely to be additional growth and to project potential needs for more programs, capacity and facilities.
We did this realizing that a numerical estimate based on external projections from 2000 census data and the current results from the Pew Forum survey for Georgia is a rough estimate that can not substitute for the local knowledge of a parish. We see it as another resource to aid in our efforts to serve the Catholic population in our Archdiocese.
The following is a high level presentation of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Geo-Demographic findings and the steps being taken to use this analytical capability that has been shared with the Council of Priests.
Please look below to find geo-demographic data reports and maps for your parish. Given the desire to utilize available external data, we have not opted to use the traditional parish boundaries in this analysis. Rather, we have used the zip codes of registered parishioners (as of October 2008) as the best approach to link between external geo-demographic data and the parish data in ParishSoft.
For each parish we have identified “Core” zip codes, where ParishSoft (as of October 2008) indicates more than 10% of all registered parishioners reside and “Extended” zip codes where more than 5% reside. We realize that different parishes have overlapping Core and Extended zip codes, which is a reality of parishioners choosing which parish best serves their needs.
We recognize that there are many data issues and potential flaws with the analytical approach. These include using projected data from the 2000 Census which are best estimates rather than actual numbers, the continued gyrations in our economy and the faulty records and issues with ParishSoft data. We offer the estimates as a good starting point for your local planning efforts and recommend that your parish bring its greater local knowledge to adjust the information and form appropriate plans. In particular, the 2010 growth projections may be high given the recent economic situation and other emerging projections. For a more complete understanding of the reports, click Overview of Parish Report Content.
We also provide below the following free geo-demographic data links on the web as additional sources for your planning.
Key Sources and Assumptions